FLORENCE, S.C. (April 16) – In a tight Conference Carolinas match Wednesday afternoon, the University of Mount Olive men’s tennis team came up just short in a 4-3 loss to Francis Marion University.

The defeat drops the Trojans to 8-9 overall and 5-2 in the league, while the Patriots improve to 11-6 and 7-2 in the conference. The series between the two schools has been competitive since 2016, with Mount Olive taking five of the last 11 meetings.

The contest began with doubles action, in which Francis Marion gained an early edge by capturing two of the three match-ups. Mount Olive’s No. 2 tandem of Niklas Gruenefeldt and Bram Poel won a tough 7-5 decision, but it was not enough to claim the doubles point. The Trojans’ top duo of Philip Peter Carstensen and Kristoffer Dalbak lost a tight 5-7 match, while the No. 3 team fell in a 0-6 loss.

The Trojans answered with three tough singles victories. Dalbak mounted a dramatic comeback in the No. 1 spot, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1, and Carstensen won a clutch 5-7, 7-5, 1-0 (11-9) at No. 4. Hagglund added another hard-fought victory at No. 5, battling to a 7-5, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2 win.

Despite the strong efforts, Mount Olive lost. Both Gruenefeldt and Poel were victims of tight three-set defeats at No. 2 and No. 3 singles, respectively. At No. 6, freshman Hiroma Nishikata lost 2-6, 2-6, which sealed the overall win for Francis Marion.

Mount Olive will look to bounce back on Friday, April 18, when they travel to Lees-McRae for another crucial conference match. The match is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.